Music Break - Duets

Some bands have had more than one lead singer, or at least someone other than the regular lead singer who can also on occasion sing a lead vocal.  As a result, such groups can produce songs in which the lead vocal bounces between two or more voices.  The plural vocal lines can also occur simultaneously in a harmony arrangement.

When I first heard You Got That Right, I did not recognize that it was by Lynyrd Skynyrd, because it begins with a vocal line from guitarist Steve Gaines, who sings the first line of each verse, with regular singer Ronnie Van Zant answering.  The two then sing most of the song in harmony.  Gary Rossington plays slide guitar, including a solo.  Gaines later finishes the song with a guitar solo.  The rest of the band were Billy Powell (keyboards), Alan Collins (guitar), Leon Wilkerson (bass) and Artimus Pyle (drums).

The signature song of the band Head East has been Never Been Any Reason, from their 1974 debut album Flat As A Pancake.  Drummer Steve Huston sings the first half of each verse, with regular singer John Schlitt singing the rest of the song.  The rest of the original lineup consisted of bassist Dan Birney, guitarist Mike Somerville (who wrote the song), and keyboardist Roger Boyd, who plays the solos on synthesizer.  Boyd is also the only original member still in the band.

Guitarist Billy Gibbons and bassist Dusty Hill share the lead vocal duties for ZZ Top, with drummer Frank Beard occasionally contributing backing vocals.  On Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers, Gibbons and Hill, in that order, trade vocal lines before concluding each verse in harmony.  Here's a video showing some people who look like they can live up to the song's title.

Circe Link and Christian Nesmith (whose father was in the Monkees and whose grandmother invented Liquid Paper) cover the Beatles song Baby You're A Rich Man.  In the video, she plays a robot and he plays a mad scientist.  Whether her name is real or taken from a sci-fi character, I have no idea.  Their version includes vocals lines from You Can't Always Get What You Want by the Rolling Stones and It Can Happen by Yes.

Glenn Frye and Don Henley sing most of the lead vocals for the Eagles, but rarely on the same song.  They each sing different verses of How Long, written by J.D. Souther.  The band first performed the song live during the early 1970's, with original bassist Randy Meissner singing the third verse, but did not record a studio version until 2007, when they included it on their album Long Road Out Of Eden.  Timothy B. Schmidt, who replaced Meissner, and Joe Walsh, who replaced original guitarist Bernie Leadon, contribute harmony vocals.